Stronger
by crystalfox127
Summary: Everyone who had once know the pink-haired girl stared in shock. She was finally back! Sakura Haruno had finally returned! Or had she? "Welcome back, Sakura!" Ino said sarcastically. "Thanks, but I'd have preferred going ANYWHERE but here."
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

She wanted to say it was fine...but it wasn't. She didn't want this, she didn't want to go back. They had left for a single reason, THAT reason, and now they were going back. No, it definitely wasn't 'fine', it sucked! She gazed out the window at the familiar streets of Konoha City. Her past nightmare and future reality...


	2. Chapter 1: Return

Crystal: Helo peepz! Hahaha, peepz, its a funny word...

Audience:...?

Crystal: Ehehehe? Umm...uh, I hope you all enjoy this story!

Sakura: crystalfox127 doesn't own Naruto, otherwise Naruto would be addicted to skittles instead of ramen.

Crystal: Skittles ARE YUUUM!

Sakura: -looks wierdly at Crystal- O...kay?...Enjoy the story!

* * *

Return

The house was exactly the same as they'd left it. All of their things, of coarse, had been cleared out when the new owners arrived, but the exterior was still pretty much the same: an untamed garden, ankle high grass, yellow paint that was starting to peal off... almost nothing about the house had changed in the past four years... It was a comforting fact.

* * *

The sixteen year-old climbed up the stairs that led to her room. Each step she took creaked. And before you ask, no, she wasn't fat, the house was just rather old! She stopped at the closed door at the end of the hallway and carefully opened it. Her room was still the same too! Lime green walls, wooden floor and a door that lead to a bathroom. There were many things that were bothering her about coming back, but right now, it was good to be home!

After unpacking all her belongings and putting her clothes in the dresser, she collapsed on her bed. Just as she was beginning to drift off... " Dinner's ready!" She got up with much effort and made her way downstairs, to the kitchen. Dinner that night was lively. Everyone was happy to be back home, but her anxiety was growing. It wasn't long... two days, then shed have to face them all again. 'But,' she reminded herself 'I'm not the girl I used to be, I've grown up! And they're all going to see it. Soon.' She made her way to her bathroom and took a nice, relaxing shower before getting dressed in her pj's and crawling under the covers of her bed. 'They'll see that I'm different now!' and with that thought she drifted to sleep.

* * *

The following morning she felt much better. After getting up and making her bed she made her way to the kitchen and started to make breakfast.

Her parents soon joined her in the kitchen. " What smells so good?" her father asked. " Breakfast!" she replied happily. " I could get used to this." her mother smiled as she took a seat at the table. " So could I." her father agreed. Breakfast was served and the kitchen became silent, since everyone was busy eating.

After breakfast she washed the dishes and made her way up to her room to brush her teeth, put her hair in a ponytail and get dressed in black skinny jeans, black ballet flats, a white tank top and a red vest with 3/4 sleeves. A bit of lipgloss and mascara later and she was ready to go. She decided that she would walk to the shops instead of getting a cab, since the shops were close. She made her way to 'hot topic', just to browse.

There were a few cute clothing pieces, and she was quite surprised at how much the shop had changed. "Hi, can I help you?" a voice chimed from behind her. She whirled around and was greeted by the sight of a girl with two buns on top of her head. The girl's eyes widened " Hey, you look like-" the girl couldn't finish her sentence since the other was already out the door. The girl pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed a number. "Hey! Yeah, I know you're busy... Yeah...yeah... Ok, ok! Just listen already! I have some important news!..."

Outside the shop, she was panting like crazy, but refused to stop running. That was close! She kept running until she reached the ladies' room. She rinsed her face and looked at herself in the mirror. She'd have to go home immediately now. The only reason Tenten hadn't chased her before was because she was working, but as soon as her shift ends the bun-haired girl would come looking for her. She sighed and scowled at her reflection. ' And I was really looking forward to lunch at Yuu's Café!' she thought to herself. ' Oh well, some other day.' She hurried out of the restrooms and quickly made her way to the exit, but before she could get away someone grabbed her elbow. She turned around, ready to give whoever dared to touch her a knuckle sandwich, but froze when she saw who it was...

" Sasuke..." He smirked at her and she had to fight to keep her blush down. " Sakura...it's been a while."


	3. Chapter 2: Confrontation

Crystal: Hey! So, this is Chapter 2! Bits of *cough*failed*cough* humor, but enjoy!

Sakura: crystalfox127 doesn't own Naruto, which is great news! If she did, Karin would be a unicorn that farts cupcakes

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Confrontation

She quickly thought about all her options. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tenten running towards them, her shift was probably over by now. ' Well, crap.' She sighed and did something she'd been waiting four whole years to do... She punched him. Hard. And then she ran like hell! She was aware that many people were staring at her as she ran.

Only when she reached her home did she stop running. She was absolutely exhausted after today.

She felt like crying, she REALLY felt like crying, but she was stronger now and she refused to cry! She stormed up to her room and collapsed face-down on her bed. Her mind was on overdrive as she thought about the day's events... She would have to face them sometime...but that would be worries for some other day. For now she wouldn't worry about that. For now she would sleep, she would relax and she would eat chocolates until her parents would have to pry them from her hands. As she started falling asleep, one thought ran through her head. ' I really want some chocolate...'

* * *

Sasuke had never been so surprised in his life as he had been when Sakura punched him. Never. Not even when Naruto got him an exploding birthday cake, or when he found out that Itachi had a Barney plushie! He had never expected something like this from the pinkette of all people! He didn't remember her being violent, or strong for that matter. What had happened to the weak little girl he remembered? The one that followed hom around like a lost puppy? The crybaby that couldn't stand up for herself?

FLASHBACK

"Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun!" The raven-haired boy scowled as the pinkette came running towards him. Why did she have to follow him everywhere? Couldn't she understand that she was annoying him? "Sasuke-kun, happy Valentines Day! I made you some chocolates, here!" She held a pink box out to him. He looked at the box before knocking it out of her hands. "Hn. I hate chocolates, Sakura." He turned away from her. "Leave me alone." "B-But-" "You're so annoying." He walked off, only looking back once to find that she was crying and wimpering, picking the box up off the floor. 'Weak.' he thought.

END FLASHBACK

Sakura was back now, after everything that happened. She was different - she didn't cry, she didn't look at him with adoration anymore. What had changed her? Why was she so...so...grown up? Sasuke balled his fists as he lied on his bed. He was gonna find out what happened, by any means possible! She wouldn't be able to hide the truth from him, not for long! He closed his eyes and eventually he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Sunday was rather uneventful: she watched the last season of Desperate Housewives on her laptop, helped her mom prepare dinner, ate, took a shower and slept.

Finally, Monday was here, and that meant she'd have to go to school. She was dreading this day, because most, if not all, of her old friends would be there. She'd have to answer their questions and frankly, there were some things she'd rather keep to herself.

Sakura let out a yawn as she sat up in her bed. It was times like these she wished she still had a mallet to destroy her alarm clock with, but sadly her parents got tired of having to buy a new one every second day... She got out of her bed and slowly made her way to the bathroom. She flicked the light switch on and made her way to the sink to brush her teeth. Afterwards she brushed the pink rat's nest that was her hair and put it in a high ponytail, leaving her bangs to frame her face. She applied some clear lipgloss and a bit of mascara, since she looked best with simple make up.

She then went back into her room to get dressed. Her outfit for the day consisted of a hot-pink spaghetti-strap shirt with a black leather jacket. The jacket stopped just below her ribs while the sleeves ended a little past her elbows. Along with that she wore torn black jeans that were tucked into biker boots. She also put on a charm bracelet with cherry blossom charms.

Grabbing her black bag she made her way to the kitchen to grab an apple and a bottle of water. " Sakura! C'mon, you're going to be late!" her father called. " Be there in a sec, Dad!" she called as she hurried out of the kitchen. " You want me to drive you?" her father asked as she entered the living room. " Nah, I'll just walk. Its not far from here and I don't want you to be late for your first day of your new job." she smiled at her father. " Sakura... I know that coming back here must be a nightmare for you, but I couldn't pass up a job-offer like this. I'm really sorry...for..." Her father seemed to be at loss for words, but she understood what he meant. " Its fine, Dad." A lie. " I would've needed to come back here sometime and its better to just get it over with now that to wait for who-knows-how-long." Another lie, but for her father's sake, she would deal with it. No matter how much she wanted to leave, her father wanted to be here and that's why she would have to suck it up. After all, her father had sacrificed so much for her...

She gave her father a hug and a peck on the cheek before leaving the house and making her way to school. 'Here we go...'

* * *

Crystal: Review! Or else the my mutant marshmallows will chew your toes off while you sleep.

Sakura: Please review!


	4. Chapter 3: Anger, trust and an act

Okay, next chapter for stronger. Yes, I just HAD to end the chapter there, sorry! This story is dedicated to mr. grimjaw, who is awsome! Please enjoy the chapter and let me know if you have any suggestions.

* * *

The walk to school was far too short in her opinion. Sakura stared at the school buildings that towered above her, wishing she could turn around and just run away from it. From the questions that were sure to come. She entered the building and walked through the halls, which were empty since the other students were already in class, to the principal's office. Then she finally got the miracle she'd been hoping for. Outside the principal's office stood a man with grey-white hair spiked up into an odd hairstyle and a mask that covered all of his face except one eye. One eye that widened once they locked with hers. "Kakashi?" Sakura asked. "Sakura? When did you get back?" His voice still had that same lazy drawl, but if she listened closely enough she could hear the slight urgency in it. "Couple of days ago...you're teaching here now?" Kakashi had been their old teacher at the elementary school, when they were all much, much younger. His eye crinkled a bit, showing he was smiling. "Well, I couldn't let my cute students move on without me. And after all, I'm allowed to teach high school students too and those other kids would never be quite as interesting as you lot." he said and Sakura, for the first time since being back home, smiled a genuine smile instead of a fake one. "Still late to class?" she asked casually. "Not on purpose..." he said and Sakura laughed. 'Same old Kakashi.' Kakashi stared at the girl for a few seconds before plucking up the courage to ask her a question he'd wanted an answer to for quite a while. "How've you been coping with..." he trailed off, unsure of how to finish the sentence, but Sakura understood the question perfectly. "It was...rough, at first, but it got better." she replied, a bit unsure of what to say. "And your...mother?" Sakura stared at him before smiling a small smile. "She's nice, good cook, kind-hearted..." she started listing the things about her mother, the great qualities she had. Kakashi still felt a bit unconvinced at her answers, but it was normal. It was probably still a sore subject to her. Sakura flashed a bright smile at the grey-haired man that she practically considered an older brother. He knew everything about her, even about...THAT day, the day that made her leave. She only trusted a handful of people with the secret of why she left and Kakashi had always been there for her. Even when he knew Sasuke didn't want anything to do with her, Kakashi had encouraged the pinkette to keep trying, because he knew how crushed she would've been without someone to support her. Kakashi immediately noticed that in spite of the fact that she still looked the same, she seemed to have become much more mature. He wasn't surprised, he expected it. He knew it would happen and he was fine with it, because in the end there wasn't any way to stop the change or prevent it. Sakura suddenly surprised him by glomping him. "I've kind of missed you, Kakashi-nii-san." Sakura said as she let go of him. She had always considered him somewhat of an older brother thanks to the fact that he was always there for her. "Well, I better talk to the principal. Bye, Kakashi-sensei." She added some emphasis on the word 'sensei', acknowledging him as her teacher, to which he nodded and smiled behind his mask. He walked off and Sakura was left standing in front of the large doors that led to the principal's office. She swallowed a bit before knocking on the door twice. A loud voice called a 'come in' and she complied, coming face to face with a woman with blonde hair and honey-colored eyes. "Ah, Haruno Sakura, I'm assuming?" Sakura nodded mutely. Something about this beautiful woman in front of her...scared her out of her wits. "I have your schedule and all of your books right here. And here, the key to your locker. I believe you'll behave yourself well in my school, right miss Haruno?" the last part sounded like a warning in Sakura's mind with some kind of underlying message of 'make trouble here and you'll never be heard from again'. "Yes, ma'am." Sakura said as she took her things and proceeded to get the hell out of there.

"Hmm, class 2C? Let's see...well here's 2F, so 2C should be...that way, maybe..." Sakura quickly walked in the direction of her class. Once she reached it she paused and tried to slow her heart, which felt as though it would burst at any second. There was no doubt in her mind that at least a few of her old friends would be in the class and that thought was quite scary, but she knew that there wasn't any way to avoid it. She took a deep breath and turned her expression blank, before knocking on the door and entering without waiting for and answer. Once she entered her eyes quickly scanned the other children in the class and she mentally groaned once she realized that most of them were the older versions of her old friends. In the far back corner was a mop of long platinum-blonde hair that she instantly recognized as her old rival. Next to the blonde was a lazy looking pineapple-haired boy with tanned skin and next to him was a rather 'chubby' boy that had a bag of chips in his hand. She recognized the other kids as well, but there were a few new faces that she didn't recognize. 'Probably came here once I'd left.' she thought and looked toward her new teacher, only to find the one and only Kakashi standing there. Kakashi's visible eye crinkled as he smiled underneath the mask. He was glad that he had Sakura in his homeroom. Sakura smiled back at him. "Alright class, we have a new student." Kakshi said rather loudly. All the kids in the class stared at Sakura, some even recognized the pink-haired girl. "S-Sakura?" the blonde in the corner stuttered. Sakura looked at the girl that had once been her rival and best friend. "Yes Ino. Its me." Sakura replied in a somewhat monotone voice. "Its Sakura?" Choji, the...big...one asked as he stared at the pinkette with wide eyes. Everyone who had once know the pink-haired girl stared in shock. She was finally back! Sakura Haruno had finally returned! Or had she? She looked so different now. Everything had changed. She was more grown up, more mature and most of all, much colder than she used to be. Her whole demeanor had shifted. She didn't smile at anyone in the class. It was more of a smirk. "Wow! Saks, I can't believe it's really you! Your back! Why did you disappear in the first place? Why did you leave? Why didn't you at least tell someone that you were leaving?" Questions continued to spill out of Ino's mouth and each question brought Sakura closer and closer to the edge of an incredible tantrum. "Ino..." the girl stopped talking and looked at Sakura curiously "...its NONE of your or anyone else's business." Ino's jaw dropped to the floor as she gaped at the girl in front of her. "W-wha..." "Don't look so surprised. You didn't expect the old me to come back, now did you?" Sakura said. She didn't mean to be so cruel, but she still wasn't ready to forgive everyone...or anyone for that matter, especially not herself. "Is this still about-" "Yes." "But it was a LONG time ago! How were we supposed to know you weren't just joking?!" Ino said angrily. She didn't like this new Sakura. The old one was much better, the old Sakura was sweet and caring, but the new one was like ice. Sakura glared at Ino, making the blonde flinch. "When someone asks for help, it isn't a JOKE!" Sakura hissed quietly. Ino's eyes widened before turning sad as she looked away. "Welcome back, Sakura!" she said sarcastically. "Thanks, but I'd have preferred going ANYWHERE but here." Sakura replied, dead serious. She didn't want to be so horrible to them, but they needed to understand that she wasn't going to just let them off the hook for what had happened. She wanted them to suffer a bit, like she had suffered back then. She wanted them to feel terrible, they deserved it after all. She only trusted a few people in this town anymore. One of then was Kakashi... She looked over at the masked man and he nodded. "Take your seat next to Uchiha." he told her in a bored tone. Sakura scowled as she realize that Kakashi thought she still loved the raven-haired boy. She reluctantly made her way to sit next to the boy, but she was secretly very pleased that there was still a bruise where she had punched him. The bruise was turning a nasty greenish color. She mentally cheered herself on when she realized that. "You know, that punch hurt like hell." the Uchiha whispered at her, loud enough for only her to hear. "That makes me very happy." she said, not once even turning her attention away from the book on her table. Kakashi was explaining something, but as much as she loved Kakashi, she couldn't find it in herself to care about, nor pay attention to, what he was saying. "Why did you change, Sakura?" Sasuke whispered again. "What made you become so different all of a sudden?" Sakura glanced at him before returning her gaze to her book. "It wasn't 'all of a sudden', Sasuke, and you know very well why I'm different." she whispered back calmly, although on the inside she just wanted him to shut up and leave her alone. "I only heard bits and pieces, a few rumors too, but never the real story. I don't think anyone here knows the real story, Sakura." he whispered back, leaning a bit closer to the pink-haired girl. "Uchiha," she stated coldly, "if you or any one else had made an effort to at least try and believe me that night you'd know EXACTLY what happened. But you know what, none of you did. I guess you'll never know the truth." Sasuke stared at her wide-eyed. She'd never, ever referred to him as 'Uchiha' before. Always 'Sasuke-kun' or some other stupid mushy nickname that he hated, but not 'Uchiha'. He returned his gaze to the front of the class as he continued to think of the girl next to him. He was now more determined than ever to find out what happened. Sasuke looked at Sakura one more time before the bell rang. 'Don't worry, Sakura. I'll figure it out quickly enough.' he thought as he packed his things back in his bag, slung the bag over his shoulder and walked slowly toward the door. Sakura packed her things away too and made her way to the next class. As she passed Kakashi's desk on her way out she looked him dead in the eyes...err, eye...and told him only one thing before leaving the room. "I'm not in love with the Uchiha anymore..."

The rest of her classes were filled with old friends asking questions or asking for forgiveness or giving her crap for leaving without a word. They all got the same response though, a menacing glare from the stone cold green eyes of the pinkette. Sakura was exhausted by the time lunch came around. She didn't want to hurt them, but she didn't want to let them think it was all okay either. So she did what she'd learned to do best: act. She put up the act of hatred, she was going to make them pay one way or another. Once she saw that they actually meant what they were saying, she'd forgive them. Sakura walked to the library, which she had found when she passed it earlier on her way to History. It was a nice quiet place and quiet was exactly what she needed right now. Her mind was on overdrive. She was thinking about how she treated everyone else. They deserved it, didn't they? They deserved some type of punishment after abandoning her all those years ago. She sat down on one of the couches and rested her head in her hands. She felt like crying, but she refused. She hadn't cried in four years, so why start crying now? She took a few deep breaths and pushed all her feelings of sadness away, buried it beneath layers and layers of anger, fake happiness and loneliness. As long as she didn't focus on the feeling that would cause those tears, she would be capable of keeping herself from crying. She finally looked up again as someone else entered through the library doors. She saw a shock of bright blonde hair that was slightly spiky. She then looked into the oh-so-familiar blue eyes of the only one of her friends that she still trusted. "I thought you might be in here. You always did like the quiet places more, right Sakura-chan?" Before she could even think about what she was doing, she had ran up to him and thrown her arms around the boy. "... Its you, its really you..." she said as she hugged him as tightly as she could. The blue-eyed teen returned the hug and smiled. "Its good to see you again...Naruto..."

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Umm...please let me know what you think! Any reviews, concrit, ect will be very appreciated!


	5. Chapter 4: Friends

Sakura and Naruto spent the entire break catching up. Sakura also told him what happened in class that morning. "Sakura-chan..." "I know, I know! I shouldn't be holding a grudge against them. I know I should forgive them and all that, but I don't want to! Not yet, anyway...I only asked them to be there for me once, Naruto. If you could've been there, why couldn't they have done the same? I...I owe you, Naruto, for taking care of me that night. You, Kakashi and Hinata." Sakura said, folding her hands in her lap. Naruto, who was sitting next to her on the couch in the library, put a hand on her shoulder. "Sakura...I can understand that your still mad at them. That night was very important and you needed all the support you could get...and they just didn't want to be there for you." They sat there for a while in silence until the pinkette decided to speak. "I punched Sasuke..." she said quietly and Naruto looked at her weirdly. "You...you WHAT!?" he yelled right in her ear, causing her to hit him on the head. "I punched him. In the face." she said, looking away from Naruto and crossing her arms over her chest. Naruto stared at her for a few seconds before bursting out with laughter. "Y-you hit...pfft...the Teme?..." he asked, trying to calm down his laughter, but to no avail. Sakura scowled at him, but it soon melted off her face, replaced with a smile. It was pretty funny to see the Uchiha's shocked face when her fist made contact with his cheekbone. And today, when she'd seen the nasty bruise that formed afterwards, she felt pride swell in her chest just by knowing she was the cause of it. After all, she had wanted to do that for a while now.

After they had left, she took some time to reflect on what was truly important in her life. Sasuke, she had concluded, was NOT important to her. Things like Naruto, Hinata and Kakashi, her dad, her mother...her mom...

Sakura pushed that thought to the back of her mind and buried it beneath layers and layers of other unimportant thoughts such as reminders about her homework. Sakura drew a deep breath, something that didn't go unnoticed by Naruto, but he decided not to ask. Sakura had always preferred to keep her thoughts private, if she wanted Naruto to know, she would tell him herself and on her own time, this was a fact Naruto knew very well. Sakura smiled at Naruto, unaware that he had just seen her distress, "So, Naruto, how've things been here? You still Sasuke's 'rival'?" she asked with a soft smile that could be mistaken for a smirk. Naruto smiled a fox-smile, one that only he seemed capable of pulling off. "You bet Sakura-chan! But I, of course, am WAAY better than Sasuke-teme! In fact..." he said while puffing his chest out. 'Same old Naruto-kun.' Sakura thought with a small smile as Naruto continued to talk. She had missed Naruto very much. She had noticed that his face had matured from the boisterous mischief-maker he used to be...or at least, she thought he did. "BUAHAHAHAHA!"...or not...

"S-Sasuke-san?" a voice asked. "Hmm?" He turned around, coming face to face with the Hyuuga heiress herself. She was poking her fingers together and there was a faint blush on her cheeks. "H-Have you seen N-Na-Nar-ruto-k-kun?" she asked, blush darkening at the mention of the whiskered boy's name. "No, I haven't. Sorry, Hinata." he said. The Hyuuga girl's face fell. "I s-see. Sorry for b-bothering y-you, Sasuke-kun." she said with a quiet sigh. "If it helps, I'll tell him you were looking for him." Sasuke said. "No!" she exclaimed rather loudly, only to notice this and blush even harder. "I m-mean...n-no, please..." she added softly, embarrassed at her small outburst. Sasuke smirked at her. "Fine..." he said as he started to walk away. "I'll tell Naruto you've been STALKING him, in stead." Hinata's eyes widened. "S-Sasuke-kun!" she ran after the boy, feeling more embarrassed than ever. 'Note to self: Never ask Sasuke where to find Naruto-kun...' she thought to herself as she ran to catch up with the Uchiha.

Sakura stood behind the corner where she had witnessed the conversation just a few seconds ago. She couldn't believe her ears when she heard Sasuke talk. 'Maybe he's changed...' she thought to herself, before clenching her fists. 'Yeah, right! That's just wishful thinking!...I thought I had lost that part of me when I lost-'

"Hey, there!" a voice called, startling Sakura out of her thoughts. She turned around and came face to face with a red-headed girl. In spite of the fact that the girl wore thick-rimmed glasses, Sakura could clearly tell the girl was very pretty. The girl was wearing a black fishnet-shirt underneath a purple shoulderless, longsleeve shirt along with black shorts and black knee-high boots. 'Her dress style is weird...' Sakura thought to herself. 'But it does suit her very well.' Sakura looked the girl straight in the eye. Her eyes were red, as red as the locks of hair that fell just past her butt. "Yes?" Sakura asked. The girl stuck out her right hand. "Hi, I'm Karin Uzumaki. You probably don't know me. I moved here just recently, so...uh..." Karin trailed of nervously, hand still hanging in the air. Sakura gasped at her last name. Uzumaki? Then was she..."Do you, by any chance, know a Naruto Uzumaki?" she asked, noticing the girl was still griping for the right words. Karin nodded with a small smile. "Yeah, Naruto is my cousin." she said. Sakura nodded, finding it interesting to know that she was such a close friend's relative. "So, what did you want, Karin-san?" Sakura asked politely. "I was hoping we could become friends? I saw you in homeroom today, so I assumed you would probably also not have anyone to hang out with..." she trailed off, eyes focusing on her shoes. Suddenly, Karin jumped at the feeling of something in her hand. She looked up to find Sakura's hand in her extended one. "Sounds great! I could really use a friend right now!" Sakura beamed at the red-haired girl, that was now officially her friend. "I'm Sakura Haruno, as I'm sure you've heard, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Karin-san." Sakura said as she shook Karin's hand. Karin smiled back at Sakura. "It's nice to meet you, too, but rather call me Karin-chan, there's no need to be formal." Karin said as both she and Sakura lowered their hands. "But then you have to call me Sakura-chan!" Sakura said, grinning at the girl. Karin returned the grin and nodded. "Sure thing, Sakura-chan!" Both girls started walking to their next class, History, together since the bell was about to ring at any moment. "So, Sakura-chan, how do you like it here in Konoha City High?" Karin asked casually as they walked through the empty halls. "Aside from all the people that I USED to call my friends being here, it's pretty good to be back." Sakura replied. Karin's face lit up. "Oh, yeah! You've lived here before! That completely slipped my mind!...Hey, Sakura-chan? Is Naruto-nii-san also one of the people you're mad at?" Karin asked out of the blue. "No, he's actually one of the few people that didn't abandon me...why do you ask?" Sakura looked at Karin, curiosity evident in her forest-colored orbs. "Naruto-nii-san is very important to me - practically my best friend - so I just needed to know." Karin replied with a smile. Sakura looked at her for a moment longer. "Are you and Naruto-kun close?" she asked as they came to a halt in front of their next class. "Yeah. I used to stay quite far from here, so we never really got to see each other very often. The times he came over we would have heaps of fun, like pranking the neighbors! Naruto-nii-san's visits were never complete unless we pulled a prank on someone and he always had genius pranks ready whenever he came! It was so much fun... The best part was that my dad and Naruto's mom both encouraged us to do it, they even gave us tips one time!" Karin said, laughing happily. Sakura joined in the laughter. "Sounds like the Naruto I know, that's for sure!" Sakura said just as the bell rang. Karin's face contorted to one of horror, making Sakura worry a little. "Karin-chan, what's wrong?!" Sakura asked in a slight panic. "We...we have...HISTORY!" Karin cried out in agony, causing a chuckle to slip past the pink-haired girls lips.

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Well, as usual - I don't own Naruto at all *cries* ...

So, this is the new chapter. I'm sorry if I took long to update! So, today is my B-day! I only ask one thing, a birthday wish - please just drop a review! Even if it's short!


	6. Chapter 5: Getting used to home

Sorry for the long wait, everyone! I'm having a bit of writers block, it SUCKS! I'm going to try my best to update, but I'm not entirely sure how regularly I'll update. Wish me luck with this stupid writers block!

I do NOT own Naruto!

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"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Sakura turned around at the sound of her name to face Karin, who was running towards her at an incredible speed. "Yeah?" Karin came to a halt right in front of the pinkette. "Which direction are you heading in?" Karin asked a bit out of breath, pushing her thick-rimmed glasses back up her nose with her index finger. "I'm going west, to Tea Leaf Street. Why do you ask, Karin-chan?" Sakura asked politely as she shifted the small pile of library books in her arms. "I'm going west too, my house is in the sam area as yours...according to Naruto-nii-san, at least. I'm still having trouble with navigating this city. Do you mind if we walk together?" Karin asked hopefully with a slightly nervous smile. "It's no problem, c'mon!" Sakura said with a huge grin as she started walking towards the school's exit. "So, did you understand the biology lesson today? About the heart? I heard a whole bunch of the kids in our class are having trouble with it." Sakura said casually as she looked at her redheaded friend. Karin looked at her with a huge smile. "I understood it all! Biology and Science are my favorite subjects!" Karin said in a slightly hyper, happy voice. 'I can definitely see the resemblance between her and Naruto. Not much, but it's definitely there.' Sakura thought with a small, sincere smile. "Are you going to do medical?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, definitely! I just need a bit of help with my math, though..." Karin admitted with a sheepish smile, silently begging Sakura to help her. Sakura laughed at her friend and soon Karin joined. "Okay, okay. So how about this: I help you with math and in return you do all partner projects with me." Sakura said as they walked across a busy street. Karin's face lit up instantly. "DEAL!" she cried out loudly, causing a few people that walked past to look at them weirdly. Karin blushed in embarrassment and ducked her head so her crimson bangs could shield her face from the eyes of others. They walked for a bit in a comfortable silence. Sakura noticed a cute little cafe at the end of the block. It didn't seem awfully busy and she didn't recognise it at all. "Is that place new?" she asked and pointed at the cafe. Karin looked at where she was pointing. "Oh, I don't know. I've been here only a few days longer than you have." Karin said with a slight shrug. "I see...we should really go eat there sometime. It looks like a nice place for a quiet meal, huh?" Sakura said thoughtfully. "Yeah, it does actually. I think that's a brilliant idea, Sakura-chan." Karin added happily with a cheerful smile as they started walking again.

... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"Well, this is where I must leave you." Sakura said as they came to a standstill in front of her home. Karin pouted slightly as she realized she still had to walk a few blocks to her house. "Oh no! Please don't leave me! Noooo! How will I survive?" Karin said mock-dramatically, causing Sakura to burst into a fit of giggles. After the mini laughing fit, Sakura waved at Karin and went into her house as Karin started walking back to her own home.

"Dad, I'm home!" Sakura called out as she entered the front door. There was no reply. Sakura slowly walked through the house, but there was no sign of either of her parents. Sakura frowned deeply. She knew her mother was going to be on duty at the hospital until 11 pm, but her dad should've been home by now. Sakura felt worry creep into her heart as she finally reached the kitchen, still with no sigh of her dad. She started going through various possibilities of why he Sakura stared at the table, or at least the green note on it. She picked up the tiny slip of paper that had her father's messy handwriting on it.

'Sakura, I'm working overtime. My work hours are going to be until twelve now. I'm really sorry, Sakura, but you know we need this extra money. There are fresh groceries in the fridge and in the cupboards. Make yourself anything you want. Again, I'm sorry, dear.

Dad'

Sakura sighed and crumpled up the note before throwing it in the dustbin. She felt a bit disappointed in the fact that her dad would be working overtime until midnight. She had been looking forward to cooking dinner together with him. 'But, I owe my dad a lot. I'll just have to accept it.' she thought sadly as she took out some ingredients for chicken-a-la-king. She would have to make enough for her parents too. They would undoubtedly be very tired and hungry once they got home. She started by chopping some of the fresh vegetables, popping a piece of gum in her mouth right before she did since it stopped you from crying when chopping onions. Soon a little tune was spilling from her mouth and her hips were swaying to it as she continued her cooking at a very slow pace, now starting to cut the chicken.

Sakura put the plate of food at the table before taking a seat. After saying a prayer she started eating. It felt strange to her - eating dinner without her family. It made her feel a bit lonely. She looked around the table, where she'd set empty plates for her parent. Sakura sighed quietly and continued eating. After she finished her food she washed all the dirty dishes, except the pots with the rice and the sauce. She would wash those tomorrow, after her parents had eaten. She grabbed her bag off of the seat in the living room and made her way up the old stairs, towards her bedroom. She sat down on her bed and took her books out of her bag, silently starting on her homework for the day. Biology, Math, History, English.

"Done..." She finally said as she stretched her arms above her head and stood up off of her bed to take a nice cold shower. Cold showers were great for trying to clear your mind. After showering and standing in the icy water for more than thirty minutes afterwards, Sakura finally decided to get out and dry off. She got dressed in her favorite blue pajamas with pictures of sheep on them. She quickly towel-dried her hair before putting the towel in the laundry basket in the corner of her bathroom. Stifling a yawn she grabbed a hairbrush and started brushing her long hair to rid it of any knots. "Urgh, time to sleep." she said as she made her way to her bed and slipped under the covers. "...the light's still on..." Sakura sat up slightly before grabbing her geography textbook and throwing it at the light switch. She lied back down and smiled in satisfaction as the light went out. "Much better."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"Oh, man! I'm so late!" Sakura yelled as she grabbed her bag. "Huh? Why is it so light?"..."Oh, man! I forgot to pack my books back in after doing my homework!" Sakura quickly grabbed the necessary books and stuffed them into her bag. "Dad, can you take me to school?" Sakura asked as she darted down the stairs at light speed. "Of course, sweetheart. Just go get in the car, I'm just going to grab my keys and those documents that are due today." he said with a kind smile, but it didn't completely reach his eyes. Sakura smiled brightly at her dad before going to get in the car. Her father's smile faltered and soon dropped completely from his face once Sakura was out of the kitchen. He sighed heavily. "Things...are going to get very difficult, aren't they." he said as he grabbed the keys from the table and moved to collect those documents.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"SUIGETSU! GIVE ME BACK MY DAMN TEXTBOOK BEFORE I BEAT YOUR ASS INTO THE GROUND!" Karin yelled as she chased the blue-haired boy around the class. The boy kept running, just fast enough so the redhead wouldn't be able to catch him. Sakura saw him approaching her desk and used her foot to push her bag into his path. "Aaahh!" The boy tripped and fell flat on his face. Karin, who had now caught up with him, grabbed her textbook from him and proceeded to beat him over the head with it. "TASTE 453 PAGES OF HISTORY!" she yelled while still hitting him. Sakura smiled at her new friends antics. Karin soon finished hitting the poor guy and joined her at the table, taking the seat next to hers. "Well, that was FUN!" the redhead smiled at her friend. Sakura returned the smile. "It's always fun to beat someone senseless after they've annoyed you. Or punching them in the face." she said, causing Karin to snicker. "Man, you must have hit him hard. That is one ugly bruise." she said quietly. Sakura shrugged before grinning smugly at Karin. "I have been waiting YEARS to punch him. It feels good, you should try it some time." she said and Karin grinned back at her. "I have." Karin said as she raised her textbook a bit higher so Sakura could see it. "I absolutely agree with you, it IS fun!" Sakura laughed again. Karin was proving to be a great friend. Ino and the others were still prying into her personal life and trying to find out what really happened. Like she was actually going to tell them.

She had made it her mission to talk to Hinata today. She wanted to speak with the shy, white-eyed girl again and she wanted to ask her to keep the events from that night secret. She highly doubted that Hinata would ever even tell anyone about that, but she needed to be completely sure. She only trusted her, Karin and Naruto right now. She didn't want to lose any of them as well.

She saw Hinata enter the room and sit down in a seat at the front of the class. Sakura got out of her chair, offering a slight 'Be right back.' to Karin as the redhead looked at her confusedly. Karin didn't reply, but simply followed the rosette with her eyes.

"Hinata." The girl turned to look at the pinkette, offering a small, shy smile at her friend. "S-Sakura-san? M-may I help y-you?" she stuttered out nervously as her pearl like orbs connected with Sakura's bright emerald ones. There was a question in the pink-haired girl's eyes, but Hinata could not figure out what exactly that question was. Sakura nodded and smiled warmly at the blue-haired girl. "That night...with the f-" "Sakura-chan, I w-won't tell anyone. I promise you that. Your secret is safe with me." Hinata replied calmly with a small reassuring smile, shocking the rosette. Sakura let a smile take over her features as she banished the shock from her face. It seemed that she wasn't the only one to change over the past few years.

"HI!" a loud voice rang as a hand suddenly popped up in front of Hinata's face, causing her to look up at the owner. Karin grinned at the shy girl. Hinata smiled and blushed slightly as she shook the red-headed girl's hand. "I-I'm Hinata Hyu-Hyuga" she said shyly. Karin smiled at her. "Karin Uzumaki. It's a pleasure to meet you." Hinata's eyes widened and her blush darkened to a dark crimson at the mention of the surname. The one that belonged to a blonde ball of energy that she loved very much. Karin raised an eyebrow at the girl. "What's wrong? Are you sick or something? You don't look too good." she said and Sakura sweatdropped at how dense her friend was. Karin was definitely related to the blonde dunce that she cared for so much...


	7. Chapter 6: Sweet Girl

**This chapter is about Hinata, since she also plays quite a roll in the story. If you didn't like it, I am really sorry. Please let me know what you think!**

Hinata sighed as she stepped inside the foyer of her home, or mansion as other people referred to it. Her mary jane shoes clicked loudly on the floor. In the middle of the room was a round table with a vase of colorful flowers that Hinata herself would pick every morning from her own, private little area in the garden. Two sets of curved stairs lead up to the second floor, above the double doors that lead to the formal living room. The dark wooden table and doors contrasted with the cream walls and floor.

Hinata climbed the stairs and walked through the doors on the second floor and into the hall. Like the foyer, the walls were painted cream with dark mahogany skirting. There were a few abstract paintings on the walls, all fitting with the theme of the house - cream, tan, brown and white. She walked until she reached her bedroom door. Her hand twisted the golden doorknob and she opened the wooden door.

Unlike the rest of the house, her room was painted a gentle lilac. Against the opposite wall was a queen sized bed with lavender colored covers and on its left was a desk littered with paper. The maids knew not to touch anything on the desk and not to read what was written on the paper. Hinata walked over to the desk, grabbing a random paper.

'Spend a bit of time with you.

I got something I need to say.

Wanna tell you, t-t-t-tell you.

Just want you to stay.

I'm gonna grab. your. hand!

Try to make you un-der-stand!

You make me come. To. Life!

You awaken the flame in-side!

So I'm gonna grab. your. hand!

Feel a bit misunderstood.

But with you my life's a-mazing.

Don't wanna say it, but I should.

With you I don't worry 'bout anything.

I'm gonna grab. your. hand!

Try to make you un-der-stand!

You make me come. To. Life!

You awaken the flame in-side!

So I'm gonna grab. your. hand!'

She smiled at the words on the paper. They had been written for a certain hyperactive blonde. Not that he'd ever know that - he would never even read this. She put her purple backpack down on the floor and headed over to the dresser next to her door. She took out the necessary clothing items and headed over to a door on the right of the room, entering a bathroom that was, once again, themed in cream and tan. Hinata opened the tap and let the tub fill with hot water. She poured some purple bubble bath into the water. She quickly discarded her clothes and got into the bath, water covering everything but her neck, face and hair. She closed her eyes and took a nice deep breath as the heat calmed all her tense muscles.

She had spent her entire school day with Sakura and Karin, talking and hanging out. Just spending a bit of time with her old friend. Sakura had seemed nervous about approaching her earlier today. Hinata understood why. What happened back then was a pretty big secret for the green-eyed girl and Hinata wasn't exactly known for being uncrackable under pressure. Sakura wanted some reassurance that her secret would be safe, Hinata was willing to give it to her.

Sakura and Karin were great friends. Sakura, beneath the new ice queen act around all the others, was still as sweet and caring as always. She had changed a lot, but she was also still exactly the same. Karin was crazy as hell. THAT had been proven during P.E.

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"Alright ladies! Split up into two groups!" the coach yelled. The girls parted into two separate groups. Hinata, Karin and Sakura were on the same team. The coach handed the other team the bat and gave the ball to Hinata, who passed it to another girl with bright purple hair. Four cones had been placed on the grass to substitute as the bases for their baseball game.

The game started out well with Hinata, Sakura and Karin all fielding and the purple-haired girl was pitching. The other team's girls were batting and Hinata was surprised that they were capable of actually hitting the ball. She wasn't a mean person, but the girls in her class just weren't...very bright. They followed the hottest boys around like lost puppies. Hinata knew she had a HUGE crush on Naruto, but at least she didn't follow him everywhere - she didn't have the guts to do that.

Everyone on their team was getting a chance to throw the ball. The other team was batting really well...and then everything went downhill when the coach asked Karin to pitch. It would probably have been alright if some random, unimportant girl had to bat. But instead it was Ino that had to bat. Karin grinned slightly at Sakura, who raised her eyebrows. That was the sign that gave away everything, Hinata was sure there was trouble coming.

Karin took the ball from a pale brown-haired girl and smirked ever so slightly at the unsuspecting Ino. Suigetsu could probably tell you this from all the times she hit him with a textbook, but Karin had a lot of upper body strength.

She got ready to pitch, red eyes twinkling with mischief.

The first ball shot past Ino, who swung the bat a second later. Ino glared at Karin and Karin smiled back, trying(and failing) to look innocent. The ball was tossed back at the redhead. Ino gripped the bat tighter and got ready for the second ball. Karin threw and the ball shot through th air like a bullet, heading straight for Ino. Ino swung the bat too high, missing the ball. It hit her in the gut, making her cough. Other girls were gasping and running over to check if the blonde was alright. No one glared at Karin, except Ino, since they thought it was an accident. Hinata looked over to Sakura, who was smiling, but there was something resembling pity in her eyes.

The baseball game was ended right there and the rest of the period was a free period. The sat on the grass in small groups, chatting. Sakura, Hinata and Karin were sitting in their own little group beneath the shade of a big tree.

"Why did you do that, Karin-chan?" Sakura whined. She was still angry at the blonde, but that didn't mean she hated her. Karin shrugged. "She's been asking me if I 'know what happened'. Said if I didn't tell her she'd spread a few nasty rumors." she said. Sakura frowned. Ino was mean sometimes, but was she really willing to do that? It was probably a bluff, but Karin didn't know that. Hinata looked nervously between the two girls. "I don't t-think Ino-s-san was being s-serious, K-Karin-chan." she said while poking her two index fingers together nervously. Karin frowned. "Oh." was her intelligent reply. Hinata sighed inaudibly as friend simply shrugged it off.

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Hinata sighed contentedly as the warm water seemed to melt her problems away. It was nice to just relax a bit after a crazy day. Hinata smiled as she inhaled the lavender scent of her bubble bath. She loved the scent of lavenders. Crisp and fresh, like a brand new morning.

Hinata quickly finished the rest of her bath, gently scrubbing her ivory skin. She also washed her hair quickly. She quickly got out of the bath and pulled the plug. She quickly dried herself off with a towel before getting dressed.

Hinata frowned lightly as she realised something. She forgot to bring a shirt. Hinata quickly wrapped the towel around her shoulders as she made her way back to her room. She opened the door separating the two rooms and walked in and straight toward her dresser to search for a shirt.

"...Hinata..." Hinata froze as she heard someone speak from behind her. She knew that voice. Hinata gulped as she turned her head to look at the intruder - none other than Sasuke Uchiha.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Sasuke shifted his weight to the other foot as the Hyuga heiress started turning a very interesting shade of red. Hinata felt her hands shake slightly as she tightened the towel around her shoulders. Sasuke stared her directly in the eyes and Hinata's blush darkened even more. "S-S-Sa-Sasuk-ke-s-sa-san..." she stuttered. "Um...c-cou-could y-y-you pl-please..." Sasuke nodded at her. "I'll be waiting outside. Get dressed." And with that he left the room, making sure to close the door behind him. Hinata let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. She quickly made her way over to her dresser, grabbed the first shirt she could find and pulled it over her head. She just wanted the awkwardness to go away now. She looked down at her clothes - a normal blue jean with the pant legs rolled up until it only reached the middle of her calves. The shirt was a sleeveless, midnight blue top. The top part sat a bit tightly and had a low cut, v-shape neckline and was twisted in such a way that the rest of the material flowed down freely to her hips. The shirt was one she had never put on before. It showed too much skin.

"Hinata." There wasn't any time to change into something else! She grabbed a small jacket made from a thin, black fabric and slipped it on quickly. The sleeves only came past her elbows and the bottom of the 'jacket' only went to below the breast, but it would help cover at least a bit more skin. She tied the small buttons, covering what the shirt didn't with the black fabric. "Hinata" Sasuke called again, he was growing impatient. Hinata slipped on her black balet flats and opened the door. "Y-Yes?" she asked nervously. Sasuke once again invited himself into her room and Hinata quickly went to throw the towel and her dirty clothes in the laundry basket in the bathroom. When she returned to her room she immediately noticed Sasuke's gaze on her. "H-how can I-I h-help you S-Sasuke-san?" she asked as she took a hairbrush from one of the desk drawers and brushed her hair out, trying to be as calm as possible. "What's her secret?" he asked and Hinata almost felt her heart stop. "What do you m-mean?" she asked suspiciously. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the shy girl. "Well, you obviously know exactly what happened that night. So...tell me." he said as he sat down on her bed. A small scent of lavender seemed to rise off of the bed. It smelled nice.

Hinata gripped the brush tightly. Sasuke couldn't be this stupid, could he? How could he expect her to tell him? She was just about to tell him that, but closed her mouth again quickly. A thought suddenly occurred - he WASN'T this stupid. There was something else. Sasuke wouldn't have come without a plan B. "W-why sh-should I d-do that?" she asked as she continued brushing her fine hair. Sasuke smirked. He had her attention. "I'll get you a date with the blonde idiot if you tell me." he said confidently. He knew he had her now.

Hinata fought down a gasp. A date with Naruto...she wouldn't ever get another chance like this, would she? A date with Naruto would be a dream come true for her, but... an image of Sakura came to mind. Eyes pleading for her help, for her silence. Naruto knew what happened too. He would probably be disappointed in her for telling Sasuke.

Hinata gulped audibly. It was either Naruto or Sakura. A chance to go on a date with Naruto would probably never come again, but Sakura was trusting her. What was she supposed to do now? Who was she supposed to pick?

"I-I...I will t-tell you that..." Hinata drew a deep breath, "...that I'm n-not going to bet-tray Sakura-chan's t-trust." she said. She wasn't about to hurt Sakura like this.

"A chance like this won't come again, Hinata..." Sasuke said. Hinata sighed. "I know."


	8. Chapter 7: Trust - Earn It or Lose It

A sweet tune escaped the pinkette's lips as she carefully brushed her bright pink hair in front of the bathroom mirror. She was in a very good mood today, but she had yet to figure out why. For now though, she would just enjoy it. Her outfit today consisted of a bright yellow sleeveless blouse with a black belt tied tightly around her middle and black jeans, making her look a little bit like a honey bee. Her blouse had pale yellow frills at the top, above the belt. On her left wrist was a bright orange rubber band and a black bracelet. She put her hair up in a messy bun, a few of the pink strands randomly sticking out with a few strands left to frame her face. She only put on a small bit of peach lipgloss. She didn't feel like coating her pink lashes in mascara today.

She grabbed her heavy school bag off of the edge of her unmade bed and slung it over her shoulder before making her way down stairs. Her mother had the day off today and had made breakfast today. Sakura smiled as she entered the kitchen and took a seat at the table, the smell of eggs and bacon drifting to her nose. Her stomach rumbled, causing a small blush to spread over usually pale cheeks as her mother placed a plate of food on the table in front of her. Sakura dug in immediately after thanking her mother for it. The food tasted amazing and Sakura sighed contentedly as she realized that both her parents were sitting down to eat with her. Her mother almost immediately started chatting with her, asking about school and making other small talk. Sakura couldn't even help it - she grinned brightly at her mother as they continued their conversation with her father giving his input every here and there.

"Do you want a ride to school, sweetie?" her father asked kindly as he put his dirty plate in the sink after they were finished eating. He then leaned over to give his wife a peck on the cheek. She smiled back at him before continuing with the dishes. Sakura looked out the window. The weather was nice, the sun was out. "I think I'll walk today." she replied before finishing off the last bite of her food.

Sakura smiled as the bright sunlight hit her skin. There was just something about today that made her feel happy. She walked at a slow, leisurely pace as she savored the fresh, crisp smell of morning. There was dew on the grass that sparkled brilliantly in the sun's rays. Birds were chirping, dogs were barking and Sakura couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her lips. This was what she missed about Konoha - the sounds of the animals mixing with the purring of car engines and the honking of horns. These sounds were home to her and it greatly upset her when she realized that there were barely any animals in Suna. The only real animals there were lizzards and scorpions - not the typical housepets.

A flash of blonde caught her eye and Sakura had to fight to keep down the disappointed groan. Further down the road was Ino, who seemed to be waiting for someone. Sakura nearly grimaced as she realized that she had to pass Ino to get to school. Sakura walked forward with long confident strides, holding her head high. Ino wasn't her boss and she had no reason to fear the blonde.

Ino's head snapped towards the sound of approaching footsteps. Ino stared at the pink-haired girl. Sakura was too different for her liking, too cold. Like she had been replaced with someone else. The only time that she wasn't like that was around Karin and Hinata. Ino wondered what happened.

Sure, Sakura had asked her for help all those years ago, but she never said WHY she needed help. She still remembered the desperate and frantic sound of her friend's voice over the phone - begging and pleading for Ino to come over and help. To help her. But Ino had heard voices and screams in the background and had assumed that it was just a prank call. She had hung up instantly, not even waiting for an explanation, before heading back inside to rejoin all her friends at the party.

Ino smirked as Sakura approached. "Good morning, Sakura." she said smugly as the pinkette looked at her blankly. Ino thought she saw a bit of recognition and irritation in those green orbs, but it was gone so quickly that she was almost completely convinced it was just her imagination playing tricks on her.

Sakura fought the urge to sigh at the blonde. Ino was trying to get her to respond, but she was determined to keep up her act. Hearing Ino greet her so smugly brought back memories of their childhood rivalry over Sasuke. Sakura kept her voice monotone as she replied. "Good morning, Ino." Sakura walked straight past Ino, completely ignoring the blonde as she calmly continued on her way to school.

Ino stared angrily at her old friend's back. This new Sakura was annoying. She missed the old Sakura. The one who raced her to school everyday and argued with her about the stupidest things. Sakura was too different now - she never smiled or grinned at anyone except Hinata and Karin. Obviously that phone call from four years ago wasn't a prank like she had thought, but what was the real problem then? Maybe Shikamaru could help her out. He was a genius after all.

Sakura sighed in relief as she finally reached her class. The small 'meeting' with Ino had really dampened her mood quite a bit. And there goes her good mood, straight out the window.

She entered the classroom and immediately went to sit with Hinata and Karin, who were both already there. It seemed like they were discussing something, or Karin was talking about something while Hinata just sat there and listened. Hinata's milky white eyes connected with Sakura's emerald ones. Karin craned her neck to look back at her friend. "Morning!" Karin greeted cheerfully as Sakura reached them and took a seat next to Hinata. "G-Good morning, Sakura-chan." Hinata said softly. Sakura smiled kindly at both of them. "A very good morning indeed." she told Hinata before grinning at Karin. "And why exactly are you so happy, Karin-chan? I thought you hated Wednesdays, you know, with our double history periods today." Sakura said, sounding suspicious. Karin laughed sheepishly whiled rubbing her neck with one hand. "Well...I'm in a good mood... Because...I have...a...crush..." she admitted with a small blush. Both Sakura and Hinata's eyes widened. "WHO?!" the both yelled at the same time, even shy little Hinata. Karin was about to ask Hinata about the loud exclamation until Sakura grabbed her by the shoulders and looked deep into her eyes, as if searching her soul... Next thing she knew she was being shaken around by the curious rosette, who was demanding to know about her crush.

"Ah! Okay, okay! I'll tell you!" she yelled and Sakura instantly stopped shaking her around like a rag doll. Karin blinked a few times, feeling just a bit dizzy. "Okay well...the guy I like...um...weeeell..." Karin tried to think of some way to explain. Sakura narrowed her eyes at the redhead. "Okay, the person I like is-" "SHUT UP, TEME!" a voice that sounded suspiciously a lot like Naruto boomed from outside the classroom. The door opened and Sasuke(or Teme) entered calmly. All three of the girls felt a little disappointed when Naruto didn't enter the class. "Aww man, I was hoping Naru-nii would beat up the Uchiha today." Karin sighed dramatically.

Sakura felt his eyes on her. She turned her head and met Sasuke's gaze evenly. Sasuke's onyx eyes seemed to be looking into her heart and mind, looking straight through her and trying to find something. Well, he would have a tough time getting anything out of her. Sasuke smirked at her and Sakura had to restrain herself from punching him yet again. She glared at the cocky Uchiha bastard, as if she was hoping he would spontaneously combust. A few more people entered the class but the two of them continued their staring/glaring competition.

"Sasuke-kun!" a high-pitched voice screeched practically out of nowhere. Sasuke groaned inwardly as one of his fangirls latched onto his arm. Sakura snorted in amusement as the bell rang. Kakashi was probably going to be late again. No need to rush back to her seat.

... ... ... ... ... ...

Sakura sighed as the history teacher droned on and on and on and on and on. It was hot in the classroom. Extremely hot. Sakura was sure that the classroom was actually an oven and that she was melting. Karin was lying down on her arms, fast asleep out of boredom. History often had tat effect on her. Ino was fanning herself with a piece of paper while Shikamaru was off in dreamland as well.

Sasuke seemed to be completely unaffected by the extreme heat. His gaze was focused on the shy Hyuuga heiress who was busily taking notes, completely unaware that he was looking at her. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. Why was he even looking at Hinata? Maybe he wanted to try and ask her about the secret? But, no. Hinata wouldn't betray her, would she? Sakura glanced at Hinata, feeling slightly doubtful, before violently shaking her head and glancing back down at her completely blank paper. She could trust Hinata, she knew she could, it was just Sasuke she couldn't trust. Hinata was shy, not weak. She could have, WOULD have, faith in Hinata.

"Hey, Shika." Ino whispered quietly as the teacher turned around to write something on the blackboard. Shikamaru twitched but didn't move, much to Ino's annoyance. She poked him. "I know you're awake." she hissed at him. Shikamaru sighed and lifted his head to give the blonde a lazy glare. Ino smiled victoriously. "Shika, what do you think...of Sakura?" she asked quietly so as not to attract the teacher's attention. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her before sighing. "Troublesome...What do you mean with that question, Ino?" he asked her while stretching his arms above his head. Ino pursed her lips, unsure of how to explain. "Well...the new Sakura. The mean one." Ino fumbled, trying to find the right words. Shika yawned. "I think...we made a mistake back then. We should've helped." he replied, sounding a bit bored but Ino could hear the faintest trace of guilt. Choji, who had been busy munching on chips, turned to face them. "I kinda agree...we shouldn't have...abandoned her that night." he told them between bites. Ino glared slightly at the two. "But it was her fault! She should have-" "Should have what, Ino?" Shikamaru cut her off. "Said "this isn't a joke"? Like you would've believed that." he said with a snort.

Ino clenched her fists. "It WAS Sakura's fault! She made it SOUND like a joke!" she hissed at the two boys. 'But you could've helped her.' a voice echoed in her head. Shikamaru scoffed. "Ino, she asked us for help and we didn't give it. How is that her fault? I think...your just feeling guilty, so now you want to find something or someone else to blame it on." he smirked slightly at her. Ino ground her teeth. "I do NOT feel guilty, Shikamaru, she's just being ridiculous about all of this. I mean, she won't even tell us what happened!" she whispered harshly. Shikamaru rolled his eyes at her antics. INO was the one that was being ridiculous, in his opinion. Not that he'd ever tell her that though - then he'd never hear the end of it. 'Just too troublesome.' he thought as he laid his head back down on the desk.

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I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Please drop a review, I'd really like to know what you guys think!


	9. Chapter 8: Think about it

Sakura allowed her eyes to lazily scan the titles of the books as she slowly walked from bookshelf to bookshelf in the library. The library was one of the only places where she had any peace these days. She had planned on going home, but once class ended she had gotten a text from her mother telling her that she had been called in for work. So Sakura went to the nice, quiet library, her new sanctuary, instead of home. She didn't want to go home when she knew her parents weren't waiting there for her. The house was too empty without them. She didn't feel like eating by herself again. It seemed sad to her.

One book caught her eye. It was bright green, titled 'Time to think'. Apart from trying to escape the loneliness, she also wanted some time to herself. To think on her own. Sakura started reaching for the book, but dropped her hand back to her side. She bit down on her lip before continuing to browse through the large selection of books.

She thought back to everyone's reaction when they found out she was back. The shock on their faces, it made her feel good, yet it also made her regret her choice of coming back. Coming back to a place that caused her so much pain. Her so called 'friends' had abandoned her, except for Kakashi, Hinata and Naruto. She felt disgusted with the rest of them. This place held nothing but bad memories and nightmares.

She had hoped she would be free of this place forever. Free of the terrible guilt that followed her around like her shadow. Free of the pain that seemed to hit her like tsunami waves from every direction. Free of the loss she had suffered that night.

Images haunted her every waking moment - a room engulfed in flames, a woman screaming. Sakura shivered in spite of the heat. Those were memories she wanted to bury far away in the depths of her mind. She wondered how her mom was doing. 'Maybe I should pay her a visit...'

Sakura's eyes landed on a small brown book. 'ENDING THE PAIN' was written on it in bold. Sakura cocked her head to the side. Maybe this was exactly what she needed. She carefully grabbed the book and opened on a random page. It seemed to be some sort of guide to get past difficult situations and deal with the emotions they cause. She closed the book and held it tightly in both hands. She once again nibbled on her bottom lip. Once she made her decision she marched up to the librarian at the front desk and handed her the book. "Oh." the woman said as she took the book and scanned the title. She cast an odd look at Sakura but didn't say anything.

Sakura walked out of the library and in the direction of the school's exit. The book was now safely put away in her bag. She heard the shuffling of feet and looked up. "Naruto!" Said boy was walking towards the exit at a very slow, almost exhausted, pace. Sakura ran to catch up with him as he turned in her direction. "Eh? Sakura-chan? What are you doing here?" he asked as she finally reached him. "I was at the library." she told him calmly. "Why are you still here, Naruto?" Sakura asked suspiciously as they continued walking toward the exit. Naruto scratched the back of his head and gave her a sheepish smile. "I...uh...had detention...I sorta pranked Tsunade..." he replied. "Tsunade? As in PRINCIPAL Tsunade?" Sakura asked in disbelief. Naruto nodded. Sakura shook her head and smiled at him. 'Same old Naruto.' she thought fondly. She always felt happy with Naruto. He was like a giant ball of fire - brightening and warming up anyone's day. "Oh, Sakura-chan, do you want to caome over to my house?" Naruto asked her suddenly. Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. "Why?" she asked, deciding to be blunt about her suspicion. "I need to study for an algebra quiz tomorrow. Pleeaaase Sakura-chan?" he asked while putting on his cutest puppydog face. 'Not the eyes!' she thought but it was too late. Naruto was using the puppy eyes against her - she had no chance. "Okay, fine. I'll help you." she replied, sounding a bit irritated. Naruto grinned, knowing he had won. "Thanks Sakura-chan!" he said with a huge smile. Sakura returned the smile.

Naruto lead the way to his house, which was on the opposite side of Konoha. Sakura smiled as a familiar bridge came into view. It was a small bridge over a small stream - nothing really fancy(bridge where Team Kakashi meets every morning in the anime).

She remembered playing ninja with all the other kids. They had all put a piece of paper with their names on it in a hat and each team had three members. At their team's turn it was her, Naruto and Sasuke's names that had been chosen. Ever since then they were team seven and the bridge had always been their 'safe point'.

Naruto was babbling on about a bunch of unimportant topics. Sakura happily listened to the blonde teen talk about everything he had done that day. Naruto just had that feeling about him that calmed people down, something she always appreciated.

A person approached from the front as they started crossing the bridge. Sakura simply ignored them, preferring to give Naruto her undivided attention, until the person spoke.

"Dobe." Sasuke greeted. Naruto snapped his head in Sasuke's direction. "Teme! Don't call me that!" he yelled at the raven. Sakura sighed as the two entered another one of their arguments with Naruto yelling and Sasuke replying coolly. Sakura was surprised when Naruto started smiling and laughing. Sasuke was smirking, but not in his usual cocky manner.

Sakura glared at the two of them. When had they become all buddy-buddy? Last time she checked they were trying to murder one another and now they were best friends? Sakura cast her head down, letting her pink bangs conceal her face, which was red with rage. She suddenly wished they were fighting like they always did. She wanted them to hate one another like they used to.

And why was Sasuke so different all of a sudden? He was acting odd. She had known that everyone would have changed, but she had expected him to become even colder. Yet, here he was, almost smiling at the very same person he had hated four years ago.

Sakura clenched and unclenched her fists over and over again. Without saying even one word she turned on her heel and started walking home. The last thing she wanted right now was to be around Sasuke.

Naruto watched with a worried expression as his pink-haired friend walked off in the direction of her old home. He wanted to follow her, to run up to her and ask her what was wrong, but he already knew that he wouldn't get an answer from her. She would tell him the truth when she was ready. If he pushed her to tell him she would probably start avoiding him and he didn't want to lose his friend again after so many years. He would just have to wait patiently until she told him.

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Uh, okay, know this is a VERY short chapter, but bare with me.


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